The present invention relates to an improved system and method for producing sealed printed products, in particular, for automatically printing, conveying, folding and sealing sheet materials for mailing. The present invention further relates to apparatus and control modifications to provide for automatically conveying and controlling printed materials in a folder/gluer.
In the production of folded and sealed printed products, such as mailers, checks, bills and the like, the products are typically printed on individual form sheets or on continuous form webs which are thereafter burst, and the printed form sheets or form webs stacked in a chute. Thereafter, the printed sheets or form webs are manually stacked at the infeed of a folder or folder/gluer. Wilson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,552,282 shows one such system.
As regards the folding of printed form sheets or form webs, interconnection of printing devices with folders has long been known, shown with respect to mimeograph machines by Smith, U.S. Pat. No. 2,807,463, blueprint machines by Funk, U.S. Pat. No. 3,961,781 and web printing presses by Vijuk, U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,815 and Bay, U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,496. Smith discloses a passive surface on which a mimeographed sheet is sent into a folder, while Funk discloses an inclinable belt conveyor. In the automatic handling of webs, Vijuk requires an intermediate stack to form before the form web is advanced for folding, while Bay inverts the web during transport along a feeding track or channel.
By contrast, the step of manually stacking sheets for folding and gluing typically continues. Lubotta et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,668,211 discloses schematically, without more, that a printed blank may exit from a laser printer into a conventional folder and gluer.
Forms entering a conventional folder/gluer require proper registration to assure the correct application of adhesives, establishment of fold lines, and alignment of perforations. Such registration is not provided by simple interconnection of known systems. There remains, therefore, a need for development of both systems and means for automatically producing folded and sealed printed products which will automate the production of such products from initial infeed of forms to the final folded and glued product.